Free Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

ourselves. We tracked him to the—Medievalverse, didn’t we? So we could figure out a way to trace the other splinters. We don’t need Conley’s bloody coordinates.”
    â€œWe already have the coordinates.” Theo sits on the sofa in a plaid shirt and jeans, a pale shadow of his usual self. His plastic hospital bracelet still hangs around one wrist. “Why wouldn’t we use them?”
    The data packet arrived from Triad Corporation a couple of hours ago, just after I returned. While we can already see the first coordinates, the ones that will lead us to the second two dimensions have to be “unlocked”—by storing data that proves I’ve done Conley’s dirty work. Each betrayal wins me one more dimension, one more piece of Paul’s soul.
    My parents don’t even want to download the information into the Firebirds. Dad insists, “We can manage on our own.”
    Theo groans. “Come on, Henry. We didn’t even know splintering was possible until a couple of days ago. Tracing those splinters in alternate dimensions? We could be months away from cracking that.”
    â€œOr days,” Mom says. “The only reason we haven’t solved the puzzle is because we haven’t yet tried. Obviously our counterparts in another universe managed to master this; if they hadn’t, Conley wouldn’t have the technology to splinter Paul in the first place. What they did, we can do. We only need to begin.”
    Dad nods, becoming encouraged. “And if Triad couldthink of a treatment for Theo’s condition, well, then, so can we.”
    â€œWe’re not physicians, Henry.” My mother glanced at the bottle of Nightthief on the shelves, the one they’d hardly begun to study. “Still, we must make an attempt. Obeying Conley has to be our last resort.”
    â€œThis is the last resort!” I don’t argue with my parents that much anymore, but right now I feel like I could scream. “Don’t you get it? Paul has been torn apart . If I don’t do this, we might never get him back. If even one of Paul’s other selves dies, then—then we’ve lost him forever.”
    Mom’s expression is more sympathetic, but she still shakes her head. “That is a risk, yes. But a fairly remote one given his age and health.”
    I remember Lieutenant Markov, bloodied and weak, dying in the Russian snow. “That depends on where he is. He could be somewhere dangerous; Conley would do that. You know he would.”
    My parents exchange a look, and Dad sighs. “We’ll give it one week. If we can’t make substantive progress on finding Paul ourselves in that time, then—well, then we’ll consider it.”
    â€œ Consider it?” How can they do this? I step away from them, hurt and confused.
    â€œEnough of this,” Mom says sharply. “You know how much we love Paul. We loved him even before you did, if you’ll recall. We aren’t standing our ground because we don’t want to get him back as soon as possible. We’re doing thisbecause the price of cooperating with Conley is too high.”
    My father adds, “Conley has his hooks into Paul already. That doesn’t mean we should hand you over too.”
    I close my eyes tightly until the wave of anger passes. “Dad—”
    â€œThis discussion is over.” Mom heads toward the rainbow table. “If we’re going to save Paul, we need to get started.”
    Dad follows her, as does Theo. But when Theo walks past me, our eyes meet, and I realize he knows what I’m thinking. I expect him to rat me out to my parents—that’s what the Triadverse’s Theo would do. Instead, he sits down at the table, pretending he doesn’t understand what’s about to happen.
    They work until almost midnight. By that point I’m lying in bed, twisted up in the sheets, unable to sleep. All I can think about is the